You know we got into some thick grouper recently so something special had to be cooking up!
This will be the best seafood pasta dish you make this summer! The depth of flavor in the sauce is truly remarkable and is complemented with the light saltiness of the anchovy bread crumbs that give it an extra crunch. The fresh herbs, garlic and datil seasonings really bring a bright punch to this dish. Feeds 6
20 min prep
45 min cook time
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large vidalia onion finely chopped
8 fresh garlic cloves ( 5 cloves chopped, 3 cloves chopped and smashed into a paste)
38-ounces of canned peeled whole tomatoes (usually a 28oz can and 10oz can is available)
1 cup panko bread crumbs
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Dat’l Hook Ya blackened seasoning
2 tablespoons Dat’l Hook Ya sauce
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup pinot grigio
¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
3 (8-ounce) lobster tails
20 littleneck clams cleamd
20 mussels (frozen is okay)
12 large tiger shrimp, peeled and deveined
1.5 pounds filet of fresh fish of choice
5 oil-packed anchovy fillets chopped finely
16oz fettuccine ( look for “slow dried” on the label. It makes a big difference)
Begin by starting the sauce first to develop the most flavors. Heat a large Dutch oven (or a large pot but Dutch oven holds the heat better) over high heat and add 3 tbsp of olive oil. Add the chopped onion and cook about 4 min until it begins to turn clear and is slightly soft. Add 5 cloves of chopped garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the Dat’l Hook Ya sauce for 30 seconds. Add all of the canned tomatoes and all of their juices. Bring to a boil and cook 10 mins stirring every few minutes. Next coarsely mash with a potato masher until the tomatoes are broken up. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the sauce uncovered until thickened, about 20 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally.
While the sauce is cooking, we need to cook the lobster, mussels and clams to make a seafood wine reduction to put into the Fra Diavolo sauce. In a large bowl, add water and ice to make an ice bath to stop the lobster from over cooking. Cut the lobster tails in half-length wise. Bring a large saucepan to high heat and add in the pinot grigio. Add in the lobster tails and clams and cover the saucepan. Cook the lobster 5-8 min or until the lobster meat is white and tender, do not over cook! Remove the lobster and place into the ice bath to stop the cooking. The little neck clams, cook until they start to open, about 4-8 minutes. Remove them and set aside.
To the same saucepan on high heat add the mussels and cover. Cook until they start to open about 3-4 minutes. Remove the open mussels and set aside. Any mussels or clams that did not open, discard them.
Next reduce the liquid that is left over by half, about 4-5 minutes and add to the Fra Diavolo sauce. By now the 20 minute cook time on the Fra Diavolo sauce is near complete. With the pinot grigio seafood wine recution added, cook an additional 15 minutes on medium-low heat until the sauce is thickened.
While the sauce is thickening, start cooking the pasta in salted water. Follow the instructions on the box and cook to your preference. Save about 1 cup of the pasta water for possible use later.
While the pasta is cooking and the Fra Diavolo sauce is thickening, it’s time to blacken the shrimp and fish. Liberally coat the shrimp and fish with Dat’l Hook Ya blackened seasoning. In a large pan on medium-high heat add olive oil to coat the pan and blacken the shrimp, about 2 min per side. Next blacken the fish and cook until done. Each fish and thickness are unique so use your judgment.
And finally the anchovy bread crumbs! Do not skip this and some of might hesitate to make it, but it is so good. Heat a pan to medium heat and add ½ cup olive oil. Add the anchovies and cook until them until broken apart about 2 minutes. Add 3 cloves of the garlic paste you made, a pinch of sea salt and a pinch of fresh ground pepper. Cook the garlic for 1 minute. Next add the panko, mix evenly with the oil and spread into an even layer. Cook until its golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Flip the panko and press into an even layer and cook 2-3 more minutes, but watch not to burn it. Add the lemon zest and add pepper and salt to taste. Spread on a large plate to let it cool. Any leftover can be kept in closed container for 1-2 days in the fridge.
Time to finish it all! Add the butter to the Fra Diavolo sauce and the pasta and coat the pasta in the sauce. If the sauce is over thickened, you can add some of the reserved pasta water. Next add the shrimp, lobster, mussels, clams and the fresh chopped basil, mix it evenly to get a nice coat of sauce on the seafood. Divide all the pasta and seafood among 6 dishes, add a piece of blackened fish on top and finish off by sprinkling the anchovy bread crumbs on top. You and your guests will be so impressed with what was just created.
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